Every artist that aspires to be a great artist. The artist of the century. The next da Vinci, hits this semi moral question. What should my artwork represent? What am I really trying to say? Am I actually saying something? If not, am I still okay with this?
These are the questions that stand guard to the gate of professionalism. I must be clear on something. Motive art and art for fun takes SKILL and TIME. With that out of the way, we can move on to my next point. Artists over time have challenged the notion that paintings must be "historic" or religious to have significance. One artist who heavily supported art for art's sake was James Whistler whom painted "Whistler's Mother" in the 20th century. He was part of the British Aesthetic movement, creating art just to create beautiful and detached art. Yet, at some point, he had to ask himself if this was the kind of work he wanted attributed to his name. He had to decide if he would conform to the demands of the time or create out of his own desires. This is the true turning point for all artists. The day when you come to the end of your student life and see a foolish amount of doors you can walk through you feel the paralysis. You soon realize you can all too easily walk through a door meant for someone else because you don't have the comfort or know how to successfully create in your emerging style.
For me, art with a concept is always more moving and forms the grandest attachment to my experience. I enjoy forcing viewers to call things into question and challenge notions of their society. I love making people return home and their new way of thinking makes their home decorations feel old or out of place. I say this in jest, but I like the idea of flipping someone's perceptions around 180 degrees when they knew themselves to be right.
In our time, 2016, most people think character concept art when I say concept. I only mean an idea behind your creation. This also includes design jobs. Interior design, UI/UX, editorial work, etc. In design firms, concept is king. Being able to apply a concept to a companies brand so well that consumers buy the product is very difficult and is easier to attain with a team of designers. So there are many reasons for or against a concept in the end, the beauty of the matter is, it lays in your hands to decide what to do next.